Justice News

An Allentown, Pennsylvania resident was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison for conspiring to file tax returns using stolen IDs, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

According to the indictment and information presented to the court, Jessenia E. Cordero, 37, operated MJ & Associates and Express Tax Services, both located in Allentown. These businesses provided tax preparation, check cashing, and other services to customers. Cordero and her co-conspirators obtained lists of Puerto Rico residents’ names and social security numbers and used these IDs to file fraudulent tax returns seeking refunds with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The conspirators directed the IRS to mail the refund checks to addresses they controlled or to deposit the refunds onto pre-paid debit cards. Cordero used her businesses to cash fraudulently obtained refund checks totaling approximately $4,316,103.

In addition to the term of prison imposed, Cordero was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $3,960,070.50 in restitution to the IRS.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Lappen commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ignall and Trial Attorney Matthew J. Kluge of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.